In hospitals and test institutions, blood, urine and other samples are analyzed for clinical examinations. Samples taken from patients are not necessarily placed in an analyzer as they are and may be centrifuged as preprocessing for analysis and subdivided for analysis. A system in which such a preprocessing flow or a flow from the preprocessing to the analysis is automated is called a specimen processing and conveying system.
PTL 1 discloses a typical specimen processing and conveying system having an automatic centrifuge unit. In the specimen processing and conveying system, a centrifuge module is disclosed which revolves at high speeds in the state where plural adapters holding plural sample tubes are installed, thus centrifuging the samples. Several ten sample tubes can be processed in one session of centrifugal processing. Also, since centrifugation may take approximately ten minutes, centrifugal processing is not started until a certain number of sample tubes are accumulated after sample tubes are inputted, and centrifugal processing is started after sufficient sample tubes are accumulated, thus enhancing processing efficiency.